For several years I have ventured into the woods in the chill of February in search of a unique flower. And each year I am too late, finding only the bright green leaves that appear after the flower is gone. Finally, my luck changed and just this week, I found the treasure I have been trying for years to photograph.
What makes spring's first bloom so special? Skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus, besides having a foul smell, is a thermogenic plant. It has the ability to produce enough heat to melt shallow ice or snow in the wetlands where it grows. The warmth entices early pollinators that emerge when the air temperature is still cold. Flies and carrion beetles make perfect pollinators for a foul-smelling flower.
Skunk cabbage is a member of the arum family. Tiny yellow petalless flowers cover a thick spike, or spadix, which is in turn covered by a thin, mottled burgandy covering called a spathe. The spathe opens partway to allow pollinators inside.
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| Small yellow fowers on the spadix can be seen inside the flower's spathe. |
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| The plant's green leaves appear as the flower begins to fade. |
